Caution: It’s a Jungle in Here!

As a part of our Journey this month, Arts For Life students are using this springtime weather as an excuse to CONNECT with their wider world in April. From snakes to bugs to fuzzy forest creatures, we have been busy studying our animal friends through our theme of Animals, Habitat, and Environment.

Kids have been BUGGING OUT at the art tables lately, creating these pastel resist bugs using oil pastels, paint, and paper bags. With their intricate line drawings, bright colors, and contrasting watercolor washes,  this project has been a favorite in every chapter. Arts For Life Durham students, Emma and Alice, chose vivid colors for their bugs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

while Mia, in Winston-Salem, stayed true-to-life with her ladybug-inspired work:

Durham Program Director, Mary Margaret Fulk has been loving teaching this project with students:

“This project combines multiple different mediums, along with everyday materials (the ever-present paper bag), which makes it both interesting and approachable!”

In addition to the creepy crawlies, Arts For Life students in Asheville have really been enjoying using printmaking techniques to create animal quilts. 10–year-old Alan used this lesson plan to create his vibrant and rhythmic “Bunny Breakdance”, featuring prints in every color of the spectrum!